Print wheel setting and actuating means

ABSTRACT

In a stamping apparatus having a frame and at least one printing type which is mounted on a support and is pressed against a print receiving surface after contact with an inking-pad device, the printing type is rectilinearly mounted on the support which is mounted on the frame in a fixed position thereon, and a slide on the frame engages the printing type by means of a cam on the slide for moving the printing type towards and away from the print receiving surface.

United States Patent [72] lnventor Per-010v Hellstrom Malmo, Sweden [21] Appl. No. 775,830 [22] Filed Nov. 14, 1968 [45] Patented Aug. 10, 1971 [73] Assignee AB Turnkey-Projekt Malmo, Sweden [54] PRINT WHEEL SETTING AND ACTUATING MEANS 3 Claims, 3 Drawing Figs.

[52] US. Cl 101/106, 101/110 [51] Int. Cl. B41j 1/60 [50] Fie1dofSeard1..... 101/103, 104,105,106,108,111,91

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 411,158 9/1889 Luebben 101/103 963,972 7/1910 Wosinski..... 101/108 1,174,704 3/1916 Folger eta] 101/103 1,226,874 5/1917 Folger et a1. 101/103 1,291,057 1/1919 Marks. 101/103 2,654,312 10/1953 Phipps. 101/35 3,188,947 6/1965 Paige... 101/111 X 3,241,482 3/1966 Keck 101/103 3,326,346 6/1967 Sasaki. 101/111 X 3,327,623 6/1967 Diegel 101/111 X Primary Examiner-William B. Penn AttameyKimme1, Crowell and Weaver ATENTED me] 0 IE}.

SHEET 3 OF 3 PRINT WHEEL SETTING AND ACTUA'IING MEANS In stamping apparatus particularly stamping apparatus of the type having large printing types for marking crates, bales and other goods one encounters the problems of attaining a satisfactory inking of the printing types and a satisfactory application of the printing types against the print receiving surface.

The present invention provides a simple and satisfactory solution of said problems and more particularly relates to a device in stamping apparatus comprising aframe and at least one printing type which is mounted on a support and is pressed against a print receiving surface after contact with an inking-pad device. Characteristic of the invention is that the printing type is mounted on the support for rectilinear movement in relation to said support which is mounted on the frame in a fixed position thereon, and that a slide on the frame engages the printing type by cam means for moving the printing type towards and away from the print receiving surface.

For better elucidation, the invention will be more fully described in the following with reference to the accompanying drawings which illustrate a preferred embodiment.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a side view of an improved stamping apparatus with a housing cover removed from the apparatus;

FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along lines 22 of FIG. I; and

FIG. 3 is a view similar to FIG. I,-but showing the printing type extended to a printing position.

The stamping apparatus illustrated is composed'of units, viz. a motor unit and an optional number of, in the present case three, stamping units which are of identical construction and mounting on the motor unit.

The motor unit has a cup-shaped frame with a substantially flat bottom 1, integral sidewalls 2, and acover 3 closing the cup-shaped frame. Mounted in said cup I, 2 is an electric motor 4 which via a gearing 5 continuously drives a shaft 6 which is connectable over a clutch 7 to drive shafts 8 to be described in the following, which are mounted in said stamping units.

The stamping units which are individually alike comprise a frame 9 covered on one side by a metal sheet 10. The frames 9 having the metal sheets I0 are stacked on each other and fastened to the bottom plate 1 of the motor unit in the manner appearing from FIG. 2 with the aid of bolts 1 I.

In each stamping unit the cover sheet 10 has secured to it a bearing bush 12 in which the aforementioned drive shaft 8 is rotatably but axially nondisplaceably mounted. At one end each shaft 8 has a diametrical groove and at the other end a connecting tongue 13 which engages in the diametrical groove in the shaft 8 of the adjoining stamping unit. A corresponding connecting tongue 14 projects from the clutch 7 of the motor unit to engage in the diametrical groove of the adjoining shaft 8. When the motor 4 is running thus all drive shafts 8 in the stamping units will rotate. Rotatably mounted on the outer side of the bearing bush 12 are a support wheel 15 and a driven gear wheel 16 fixedly connected thereto. Fastened beside the driven gear wheel I6 to the end of the shaft 8 projecting from the bearing bush 12 is a driving gear wheel 17 which has the same diameter as the gear wheel I6 and which thus rotates when the motor is running. The two gear wheels I6 and I7 can be connected in the manner described in the following in order that the support wheel 15 may be carried along in the rotation of the shaft 8.

The support wheel 15 has a desired number of, in the present case 12. radial outwardly open bores each for receiving one rod 18 which is displaceable in the respective bore. A printing type 19 having a printing surface 20 facing away from the shaft 8 to permit printing the desired sign, e.g. a digit or a letter on a print receiving surface, is secured to the end of the rod I8 projecting from the bore of the support wheel. On the two side surfaces the printing types 19 have arcuate grooves 21, 22.- An annularl y bent guide bar 23 secured to the cover sheet I0 engages in the grooves 22 of the printing types, and

said guide bar extends coaxially about the bearing bush I2 in a continuous manner except where an openingis provided op- 5 posite the printing type 19 facing to the left in the drawings and occupying stamping position, whereby said printing type I9 can be freely moved through the opening in the guide bar 23 with the aid of cam means 24 which engages in the groove 21 of that printing type I9 only which occupies stamping position.

The cam means 24 is in the shape of a short arcuate bar which is secured to one side of a frame-shaped slide 25. Said slide has two opposite straight side edges which are guided by guide rollers 26 applied thereagainst and rotatably mounted in the frame 9. Secured to the cover sheet 10 is a compressed air cylinder 27 whose piston rod 28 is connected to the slide by means of a pivot 29. By the supply of compressed air on one side of the piston in the cylinder 27 the slide 25 can be moved to the left from the initial position illustrated in the drawings, the cam bar 24 abutting against the left-hand sidewall of the groove 21 in the printing type 19 which occupies stamping position so that said printing type l9 is'moved to the left until the printing surface 20 thereof is pressed against a print receiving surface on a crate, bale or like goods (not shown), which printing surface is kept pressed against the left side of the frame 9 across an opening 30 therein. By then supplying compressed air to the other side of the piston in the cylinder 27 the slide 25.can be returned to the initial position illustrated, the cam bar 24 abutting against the right-hand sidewall of the groove 21 in the printing type I9 which occupies stampin'g position, thereby returning the printing type to the initial position shown. At the displacement the slide 25 is exactly.

guided by the guide rollers 26 and the piston and cylinder assembly 27, 28. 7

An inking-pad device is provided for inking the type surface 20 of the printing type which occupies stamping position, before said type surface is pressed against the print receiving sur' face in the manner described. This device has two two-armed levers 32 which are mounted on theframe 9 with the aid of shafts 31. One arm of each lever 32 extends in an arc along the circuit of printing types I9 towards the opening 30 and has opposite half of said opening a cup 33 for receiving an inkingpad means 34. The two cups 33 with the inking-pad means 34 therein closely adjoin in the initialposition illustrated in the drawings. Said one arm of the levers 32 is tubular and connected to a supply line 35 for stamping ink so that the inkingpad means canbe continuously kept filled with stamping ink. The other arm of the levers 32 carries'a cam follower roller 36 'which engages in an approximately Z-shapedcam groove 37 in a cam plate 38 secured to the slide 25. When the slide 25 is moved'to the left from the initial. position illustrated in the drawings the cam follower rollers 36 first move in a portion of the cam grooves 37 which is parallel to the movement of the slide so that the type surface 20 of the printing type I9 occupying stamping position is pressed against the inking-pad means 34 for inking before the levers 32 begin the swing. Shortly after the type surface 20 has got in contact with the inking-pad means 34 the cam follower rollers 36 begin to roll along relatively converging portions of the cam grooves 37 so that the ends of the levers 32 carrying the rollers'36 are swung towards one. another and the cups 33 with the inking-pad means therein are swung away from each other so as to leave an unobstructed path for the continued shifting of the printing type 19 to the left up to the print receiving surface of a crate or the like which bridges the opening 30. After the cups 33 and their inking-pad means 34 have relatively rapidly been swung away from the printing type 19 the cam follower rollers 36 move in parallel end portions of the cam groove 37 to keep the cups 33 and the inking-pad means 34 swung away from the path of motion of the printing type I9. When after the stamping operation the slide moves back to the right into the initial position shown in the drawings the levers 32 are swung back to initial position without preventing the return of the printing type I9, as will readily be realized.

' ing-position the following arrangement is provided. A holder 40 is pivoted tothe cover sheet about a shaft 39. A clutch wheel4l is rotatably mounted by means of a shaft 41 on the holder 40, and in the operative position of the holder 40, which is shown in the drawings, said clutch wheel engages both the driving gear wheel 17 and the driven gear wheel 16 which is fixedly connected to the support wheel 15. When the clutch wheel 42 occupies said position the motor will thus drive the support wheel by the intermediary of the drive gear wheel 17 secured to the shaft 8, the clutch gear wheel 42 and the driven gear wheel 16 fixedly connected to the support wheel. This will cause the support wheel 15 to rotate while "carrying along the printing types 19 which during their circuitous movement are guided by the engagement of the cam bar 24 with the groove 21 within the region of the stamping position and by the engagement of the guide bar 23. with the groove 22 within the remaining portions of the circuitous path of the printing types. Further, a locking means 44 in the form of a roller is mounted-on the holder 40 by means of a shaft 43. This roller is adapted to cooperate with approximately V- shaped recesses 45 in'the printing types [9. When the holder 40 is swung from the operative position shown in the drawings counterclockwise as viewed in FIG. I to disengage the clutch 7 gear wheel 42 from the gear wheels 16 and 17 for interrupting gagement with the recess 45 in one of the printing types l9 to lock the support wheel [5 in a definite angular position in which the desired printing type 19 occupies stamping position.

When the holder 40 is swung back clockwise into the operative position shown the locking roller 44 is disengaged from 'the recess 45 so'that the support wheel 15 can again be driven Control of the supply of compressed air to the compressed air cylinders 27 and 46 of the different stamping units can take place with the aid of valves (not shown) which can be operated manually or electrically, for instance from an electronic data processing apparatus controlled for instance by a weighing machine or the like.

What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

I. A stamping apparatus comprising a frame, a printing type wheel rotatably mounted on said frame, a plurality of printing type means, means mounting said printing type means on said wheel in spaced relation along the periphery of said wheel and for radial movement in relation to said wheel, indexing means for rotatably indexing said type wheel into a selected one of a plurality of indexing positions, slide means mounted for reciprocating movement on said frame along a diameter of said wheel, motor means connected to said slide means for positively moving said slide means form a starting position in a printing stroke to a printing position and from the printing position in a return stroke back to the starting position, cam means on said slide means, and an arcuate groove on each of said type means for reception of said cam means on said slide means when said wheel occupies an indexing position corresponding to the printing type means carrying the arcuate groove, whereby the last-mentioned type means is positively moved by said slide means towardsand away from a print receiving surface when said slide means is moved in the printing and return strokes.

2. A device as set forth in claim 1 wherein said indexing means includes a second motor means for rotating said type wheel, clutch means for establishing a driving connection between said second motor means and said type wheel, and a third motor means connected to said clutch means for actuating said cl utch means to establish the driving connection between said second motor means and said type wheel of ef- 

1. A stamping apparatus comprising a frame, a printing type wheel rotatably mounted on said frame, a plurality of printing type means, means mounting said printing type means on said wheel in spaced relation along the periphery of said wheel and for radial movement in relation to said wheel, indexing means for rotatably indexing said type wheel into a selected one of a plurality of indexing positions, slide means mounted for reciprocating movement on said frame along a diameter of said wheel, motor means connected to said slide means for positively moving said slide means from a starting position in a printing stroke to a printing position and from the printing position in a return stroke back to the starting position, cam means on said slide means, and an arcuate groove on each of said type means for reception of said cam means on said slide means when said wheel occupies an indexing position corresponding to the printing type means carrying the arcuate groove, whereby the last-mentioned type means is positively moved by said slide means towards and away from a print receiving surface when said slide means is moved in the printing and return strokes.
 2. A device as set forth in claim 1 wherein said indexing means includes a second motor means for rotating said type wheel, clutch means for establishing a driving connection between said second motor means and said type wheel, and a third motor means connected to said clutch means for actuating said clutch means to establish the driving connection between said second motor means and said type wheel to effect indexing motion of said type wheel.
 3. A device as set forth in claim 2 including locking means connected to said third motor means, said locking means being adapted to be brought into locking engagement with said type wheel by said third motor means when said clutch means are out of driving engagement whereby said type wheel will be prevented from rotative movement. 